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does success create happiness?

10/28/2015

15 Comments

 
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I’m assuming that if you’re reading this blog and you’ve been drawn to my work and teaching, that on some level, you’re interested in being more successful with your music.  It’s a pretty normal drive.  You’re inspired to make music and so you naturally look for ways to become more successful at getting your music into the world and ideally, make money from it.  Most musicians I work with want to be more “successful”.  I don’t know that many musicians that are actively trying to be less successful.  We all want success.  But why?  What really motivates us to pursue success as musicians?  Is it because we want to make money?  Surely there are easier ways to make money.  Is it because we feel like music is our calling and we imagine we’d be happier if we could support ourselves doing what we love?  Is it because we desire the status and respect of our peers we imagine being a successful musician would bring?  I think, if we’re honest with ourselves, most of us want to be more successful, because we think that on some level it will bring us more happiness.  

Success equals happiness, seems to be the equation that most of our culture buys into. You don’t have to look very hard to see that this is the premise most of our culture adheres to and operates from. So many of us, spend so much of our time, frantically trying to become more successful at our various pursuits. But why?  Does being successful result in more happiness?  What if you achieved the success you so desperately longed for but then realized you weren’t really any more or less happy than before?  Are all “successful” people happy?  Are all “unsuccessful” people unhappy?  If becoming successful was a formula for happiness, why does there seem to be so many screwed up “successful” celebrities and musicians with chaotic personal lives?

Think about a time when you worked really hard to get something you desired and you achieved your goal.  How long did you feel happier as a result?  If you’re like me, you probably experienced a short term spike in your happiness that fairly quickly subsided to your “normal” level of happiness.  I remember the first time I heard my music on television.  I was ecstatic, for about a day.  The next day I was a little less ecstatic, the next day a little less and so on, until a couple weeks later it was almost as if the experience never even happened.  Then each successive time I heard my music on television, I was a little less excited than the previous time.  These days, if I catch one of my placements on TV, I perk up a little bit and then just get back to whatever business is at hand. Whatever happiness you get from achieving success is usually short lived.

Maybe, as a culture, we’ve had it backwards all along.  Growing research into this field suggests that becoming successful is more a byproduct of being happy, than the other way around.  It’s a subtle but profound distinction.  A review of 225 studies in the Psychological Bulletin found that happiness doesn’t necessarily follow success. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Happiness leads to success. Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., of the University of California, Riverside and her colleagues reviewed three different types of studies: those that compare different groups of people, those that follow individuals over long periods of time and those that examine outcomes in controlled settings.

These studies examined questions such as “Are happy people more successful than unhappy people? Does happiness precede success? And does positive affect lead to success-oriented behaviors?” The results from all of the studies suggest that happiness leads to greater successes in life.  Lyubomirsky suggests “this may be because happy people frequently experience positive moods and these positive moods prompt them to be more likely to work actively toward new goals and build new resources. When people feel happy, they tend to feel confident, optimistic, and energetic and others find them likable and sociable.”

When we’re happy, we tend to be more motivated to pursue the things that bring us more happiness, and we increase our odds of becoming successful at doing those things.  Think about it, when are you the most productive and effective?  When you’re happy and in a good mood, or when you’re despondent and discourage about your place in life.  For me it’s definitely the former.  I tend to do everything better when I’m in a good mood.  Sure, some discontentment can be motivating and lead to actions that bring more “success”.  But pursuing success in this manner tends to create a cycle of dissatisfaction that never gets resolved.  You’re constantly chasing something that you think will bring satisfaction that never quite does. Psychologists refer to this state as the “hedonistic treadmill”.  We go around and around, never quite feeling satisfied.  Yet, when you focus on being happy and pursuing things that you’re interested in from that place, you can simply enjoy the journey, wherever it takes you.
It’s important as musicians that we closely examine what motivates us.

Musicians, perhaps more than people in any other profession, tend to be pursuing a very elusive goal; the dream of “making it big”.  This goal isn’t inherently good or bad.  It all depends on what your motivation is.  Are you trying to “make it big” because you imagine you’ll be incredibly happy when all your dreams come true? Or are you pursuing your goals because you’re so happy and passionate about music and your goals that you simply can’t help going after what you want and love?

You have the rest of your life to chase success, but you can choose to be happy right now.

15 Comments
James link
10/28/2015 10:37:06 am

There is another very basic reason for desiring success in this business. Without success you might not be able to continue doing the things you love. Sure, you can always write music and play music but I love recording music and making music videos. That costs money and if you are not successful then you are not making money and therefore cannot afford to do these things as much. I'm not looking to "get rich" or "make it big". I really just want to be able to sustain the things that I love doing. Related to that is the time factor. If, like me, you are holding down a regular job and trying to do very time consuming things like recording albums and making music videos it gets very tiring. Being able to focus on the activities that I love doing without having to worry about holding down a separate job to pay the bills would definitely add to my happiness.

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Aaron Davison
10/28/2015 02:05:24 pm

Absolutely! There are definitely very practical and healthy reasons to pursue becoming more successful :)

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Keith Kehrer link
10/28/2015 11:48:04 am

More food for thought Aaron. Like they say. "It's all in your head" I have a great fantasy life in my head and am considered to be a dreamer especially by the German side of my family, but they are (and were) so terribly unhappy. Of course when I come out of my dream state, my ambition and reality depresses me, but I keep pursuing the things I love and do what I can to support them and find people to help me move them forward. I am almost 58 and I will never stop dreaming.

Keith - AKA Kamakaze Krush

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Aaron Davison
10/28/2015 02:06:41 pm

I'm with you. I'm a fellow dreamer and will never stop going for my dreams either. I just remind myself to remain happy now and not hinge my happiness on what I imagine future success will feel like!

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Keith Kehrer link
10/28/2015 03:24:33 pm

I always tell people that there are two people inside of me. One of them always goes out on the skinny branches and the other tries to pull the first one back from danger. The fight never stops. I do find happiness in little victories but ache for bigger ones.

K

Gillian
10/28/2015 01:52:02 pm

I have read many of your articles and waiting for "the catch" but at this point I must conclude that you are truly awesome.

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Aaron Davison
10/28/2015 02:16:04 pm

haha thank you! You're awesome.

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Allen Cook
10/28/2015 08:01:08 pm

Another home run Aaron! I'm not sure how my comment ties into this article about happiness, but I watched a Jon Bon Jovi interview today. He said something that really struck a chord with me - sort of a humbling perspective on the pursuit of success and happiness: "anytime you think you've reached the top of the mountain, the truth of the matter is you've just reached another mountain, and it's there to climb all over again". I think it's sort of related to what you said re hearing your music on TV: "whatever happiness you get from success is usually short lived". I suppose it boils down to simply being happy in the pursuit of climbing the "mountain of creativity". As one reader commented, and I agree - yes, it would be great to have financial breathing room, so to speak. So, let's all keep dreaming, and stay happy while climbing!

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Andrea
10/28/2015 11:33:15 pm

Interesting article. Nothing surprising from a scientific point of view, but these simple concepts are those ones we should keep in mind when we're making music as part time of FT job. I think happiness is really a short time feeling, while motivation is something different and it embraces a long time dream to pursue. Motivation means "what moves you towars action", that's the real important thing we should feed to pursue to be successful. Happiness is a temporary result, but without motivation nothing is possible. I understand that positive moods are fundamental to be successful, but most of all those positive feelings felt before success are not always the sign of happiness, but a sign of motivation, clear ideas and projects.

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Julia link
10/31/2015 06:22:55 pm

Excellent post and I read it at the right time. I agree with you!!! I have a passion for writing and I also love learning new things. I can see that people get scared of my passionate attitude. They react with a mixture of curiosity and envy and even a lack of understanding. I have a happy attitude and I am crazy to believe that the journey matters more than anything else. I firmly believe that something great will happen and there IS always something happening as a result of it. People think I'm crazy but I think we all need this kind of craziness to do something well.

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Jay.Soul link
11/2/2015 04:58:28 am

Another good one Aaron. Very instersting idea that happiness precedes success not the other way around. Thanks for the reminder about this.

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Victoria Tegg link
11/1/2019 02:44:55 am

It’s perfect time to make a few plans for the long run and it
is time to be happy. I’ve learn this publish and
if I may I desire to recommend you some interesting things or advice

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Darkweb link
11/5/2019 01:13:13 am

Hello. remarkable job. I did not expect this. This is a splendid story. Thanks!

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Monalisha link
2/2/2020 11:11:35 pm

your method of explaining the whole thing in this paragraph is genuinely good, all be able to effortlessly know it, Thanks a lot.

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Joseph Donahue link
12/13/2021 09:34:34 pm

The other day, while I was at work, my sister stole my apple ipad and tested to see if it can survive a 30 foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My iPad is now broken and she has 83 views.
I know this is entirely off topic but I had to share it with someone.

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